If I could drop dead right now, I'd be the happiest man alive. ~ Samuel Goldwyn

To Blave or Not to Blave

I’ve concluded that it’s high time people learned some email etiquette.
And is a cathouse gal the one to learn manners from? Apparently so.
Surely, someone… somewhere… has broached this subject (is it alright if I call you Shirley?) BUT it must have fallen on deaf ears… er… fingers. The refined practice of proper emailing has proved to be elusive. Let’s see if we can tip the scales a bit.

It’s not hard to apply some sensibility to our emailing practices. Simply consider the time restraints and possible personal views of your proposed “audience.” I don’t know who it is that sits around with enough time to sift through twenty-plus emails a day, but it ain’t me! If I see mail that has that tell-tale “RE: RE: RE: And Baby Makes Three!” type of message in the subject line… I often delete it without reading. I’m gonna guess (somewhat educatedly) that I’m not alone in that action. If you are someone who notoriously sends such FORWARDS, then I sometimes delete it without even bothering to read the subject line! Easy rule. If you find yourself pushing the “forward” button… STOP! The “forward” function was not invented to give you an easy way to feign communication. It’s to be used SPARINGLY. If you have been sent a story or joke and you just CANNOT keep from sharing it… then copy and paste it into a message. Then select addresses to send it to, considering them personally. Honestly, there are some people with differing political AND spiritual views from yours. And if you really want to be correct about it, send it to one address at a time, mentioning something about why you thought they, specifically, might get a kick out of it.

A message to the receiving end. When you receive an email that you like, respond. Even if it’s just a joke. I rarely send out those things, but if I do, I like to know that you enjoyed it. Not a long response, and not even EVERY time… just a “funny… I liked that” or such. If I never get a response, I will stop sending, because I will conclude that you are not enjoying the messages. Not because I want to punish you, or that I’m offended. If you like it, I hear from you… if not, I don’t. Conversely, if you are in the habit of sending me jokes and stories and NEVER get a response from me, it’s likely that I’m not reading them. And it’s probably pissing me off that I never receive a personal message from you.

Chain letters. These are the most ill mannered things to come down the pike yet! Promising good luck, threatening bad luck… promising answers to prayers, fulfilled dreams and wishes, if we follow the “chain” rules….threatening the loss of those things if we don’t…are we using 21st century technology to nurture 16th century ideas?

Truly, it’s a lazy man’s world. I’m all for laziness. If you just want to scan, forward, scan, forward, scan, forward and be done with your correspondence for the day, then go for it… you’re quite effectively accomplishing that! But just know, it’s not impressing anyone. I have a large number of intelligent and creative friends and, quite frankly (do you mind if I call you Frankly?), this lack of email integrity makes them appear quite dull. I’d rather see them as the shining stars I know them to be.

6 comments:

Had I still been in the "fwd's are the neatest thing" frame of mind, I would have thought this entry was geared directly at me. LOL I admit, I was really bad about sending forwards out to massive amounts of ppl, but I have refrained from that for quite some time now. Every now and then, if there is a GOOD one to share, I will fwd but otherwise I just read and move on. After a while they all say the same thing anyway. But you, dear friend Teri, should make a mental note, that if u were to ever receive a fwd from moi....it's well worth the reading! LOL All in all.... you are absolutely right. (again!)

You will probably never read this comment. When I click on a new blog, I always read the beginning entries. You can often find out the who, what, when, where, and why..

This post hit a raw nerve in me...it's exactly the way I feel about e-mail etiquette and why I have almost stopped my e-mail program...fwd;fwd;fwd;To My Very Best Friend!! What a laugh! Guess I've gotten very cynical in my old age!